Leengoed Espendonck | Gemert

In the Middle Ages, the present hamlet of Esdonk was home to two important homesteads. Both were known as Espendonk. One of the farms on Esdonk was privately owned and was already divided into several farms in the Middle Ages, from which the hamlet of Esdonk arose. The second farmstead belonged to the extensive possessions of the noble Van Gemert family, the family that had traditionally been lord of the manor of Gemert. In 1366 Diederik van Gemert had to relinquish the seigniory in favor of the Teutonic Order. From that time on, the farm had been a fiefdom of the Gemert Commandery. The Van Gemerts and their heirs remained owners of the farmstead as fiefs. In the 15th century, Art Goossens Steenwech was a fief for the farmstead. In turn, he leased the farmstead for 17 muds of rye, 6 muds of buckwheat, 2 muds of oats and another sum of money of 4 Peter. The farm then included almost 8 ha of arable land and over 9 ha of pasture. From the end of the 18th century, the farmstead once again belonged to the Gemert castle estates, owned by the Van Riemsdijk, Lüps and Scheidius families. In 1911, the construction of a new farm on the old homestead was commissioned. In 1938, the Van Moorsel family becomes the owner. There are indications that the farmstead was once surrounded by a moat.